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Air NZ releases ‘The Most Epic Safety Video Ever Made’

The safety video was shot over six days across a number of New Zealand’s Middle-earth locations, including Hobbiton and Central Otago, both of which appear in The Hobbit Trilogy.

Air New Zealand is well known for its innovation, but the carrier really has gone the extra mile with its latest in-fight safety video, which is aptly named ‘The Most Epic Safety Video Ever Made’. The video, which has been unveiled ahead of the December release of the final film in The Hobbit Trilogy, stars members of the cast from all three films, including Elijah Wood (Frodo Baggins), Dean O’Gorman (Fili the Dwarf) and Sylvester McCoy (Radagast).

The video also features cameos from The Hobbit Trilogy director Sir Peter Jackson, Weta Workshop Co-founder Richard Taylor and Kiwi filmmaker Taika Waititi, who directed the video for the carrier.

The safety video was shot over six days across a number of New Zealand’s Middle-earth locations, including Hobbiton and Central Otago, both of which appear in The Hobbit Trilogy. Behind the scenes creative talent from the films was also involved in the production of the video, including Weta Workshop, which supplied costumes and more than 150 make-up prosthetics, and Weta Digital, which created the visual effects.

Sir Peter Jackson said: “Air New Zealand has created yet another fantastic video to celebrate The Hobbit films. This latest offering combines members of our cast and our locations with Air New Zealand’s unique personality. I had a lot of fun on the set with Taika and the team and look forward to seeing the video onboard.”

Air New Zealand, Head of Global Brand Development, Jodi Williams added: “We are very proud to be the official airline of Middle-earth and have worked hard over the past three years to create highly effective global marketing campaigns, including distinctive branded aircraft and Hobbit-inspired online content, which have got the world talking about both our airline and destination New Zealand.”